So… There’s an Eerie, Abandoned, Wizard of Oz Theme Park in North Carolina…

When Frank L Baum wrote and published the Wizard of Oz back at the turn of the 20th century, he probably never imagined how beloved the story would remain over a hundred years later. Along with the famous 1939 film adaptation, it has inspired more books, movies, and plays than I could possibly count in this article (Wicked – the musical, not the book – being my personal favorite!). Most recently, television is taking another run at re-imagining Baum’s world with Emerald City, though it’s too early to tell how that will turn out.

That’s why it isn’t a surprise that someone tried turning the merry old land of Oz into a theme park back in 1970. Located in North Carolina’s Beech Mountains, the park initially attracted thousands of visitors – over 400,000 people wandered the yellow brick road in its opening summer. Sadly, the coming decade brought a fire and dwindling sales, resulting in the owners’ filing for bankruptcy and closing the park in 1980.